By Tunji Braimoh, Abuja

The Presidency has extended the deadline for the submission of memoranda and position papers on the proposed National Policing Bill to August 21, 2026, giving Nigerians and relevant stakeholders additional time to contribute to the ongoing police reform process.

The extension was announced on Thursday by the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila. The new deadline for submissions is 5:00 p.m. West Africa Time on Friday, August 21, 2026.

The development comes barely a day after the Presidency had announced that the consultation window would close on August 13. According to the Working Group, the extension is aimed at ensuring that individuals, institutions, and organizations have sufficient opportunity to make meaningful and well-informed contributions to the proposed legislation.

In a statement, Gbajabiamila said the Working Group remains committed to an inclusive and consultative process that reflects the views of Nigerians and key stakeholders. He noted that the proposed National Policing Bill is designed to establish a comprehensive operational, administrative, institutional, and funding framework for a more effective policing system capable of addressing Nigeria’s evolving security challenges.

He explained that the reform seeks to strengthen accountability, professionalism, and the protection of citizens’ rights while creating a policing architecture that responds to local security realities. He added that the significance of the proposed reforms makes it necessary to allow stakeholders more time to submit detailed and technically sound recommendations.

Gbajabiamila urged legal practitioners, civil society organizations, security experts, state governments, professional bodies, academics, and interested members of the public to take advantage of the extended consultation period by submitting their memoranda through the official National Policing Bill portal before the new deadline.

According to him, the development of an effective policing framework requires careful consideration of critical issues, including sustainable funding mechanisms, command and control structures, recruitment and training standards, operational jurisdiction, inter-agency collaboration, accountability measures, and safeguards against political interference.

He stressed that broad stakeholder engagement is essential to producing a policing framework that is effective, transparent, sustainable, and responsive to the unique security needs of communities across the country.

The Presidential Working Group also disclosed that, upon completion of its assignment, it will present a final implementation-ready draft of the National Policing Bill for legislative consideration. The committee expressed appreciation to stakeholders who have already submitted contributions and encouraged others to participate in the process.

The National Policing Bill portal was launched on August 3, 2026, when Gbajabiamila formally opened the public consultation process. The Working Group is expected to submit the completed Executive Bill package to President Bola Tinubu for review on September 3, 2026.